Glenn Beck says he and Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy have more in common than the singer may think, according to a letter to Bellamy that Beck posted on his blog this week. Beck wrote in response to comments Bellamy made last weekend criticizing the "conspiracy theory subculture" of rightwing American commentators like Beck.

The conspiracy-minded conservative radio host apparently took no offense. "As uncomfortable as it might be for you, I will still play your songs loudly," he wrote. "To me your songs are anthems that beg for choruses of unity and pose the fundamental question facing the world today – can man rule himself?"

Despite approaching politics from different worldviews, Bellamy and Beck share common ground, he wrote. "In the Venn Diagram of American politics, where the circles of crimson and blue overlap, there's a place where you and I meet," Beck wrote. "It's a place where guys who cling to their religion, rights and guns, connect with godless, clinched-fist-tattoo guys."

Beck spent much of the rest of his letter expounding on his perception of the differences between American and European political philosophy and describing his view of the role that music and art often play in social upheaval: "Think artists getting behind guys like Lenin and Trotsky," he wrote. "Think of pop culture's role in the Arab Spring. The youth rises up, power structures crumble and worse leaders are inserted."

Beck signs off by wishing the band luck with the new record (The 2nd Law, which came out this week), but not before thanking Bellamy for "singing words that resonate with man in his struggle to be free," and then quoting one of Bellamy's own lyrics, from "Hoodoo": "But I've had recurring nightmares that I was loved for who I am and missed the opportunity to be a better man."